INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Myles Turner scored a season-high 33 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 10 assists, and the Indiana Pacers defeated Dallas 133-111 on Sunday night, leading the Mavericks to It ended a Western Conference-best seven-game winning streak.
Luka Doncic had 33 points, six assists and six rebounds for the Mavericks, who shot 47 percent from the field, but allowed Indiana to shoot 56 percent and make 14 3-pointers. Kyrie Irving had 29 points and six rebounds for Dallas.
“The whole game for us was about our dominance and our competitiveness,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who coached the Mavericks for 13 years. “We just wanted to stay aggressive and not look at the scoreboard and just play our game. You're never going to have an easy game against a team like Dallas.”
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Andrew Nembhard and Haliburton broke through midway through the fourth quarter to put the Pacers ahead 120-102. Dallas, which was within four points early in the final period, later trailed by as many as 22 points.
“I want them to be recognized for their accomplishments,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “They were making shots. Let's learn from that. Assists were the lowest of the season, 15. Haliburton caused problems for us driving. Turner, he was top of the key or 3. It seems like he found his way to the point line. He was very open, so we have to get better.”
Nembhard and Ben Shepard each scored 15 points for Indiana, which won its third straight game and strengthened its defense in sixth place in the East. Benedict Mathurin had 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Doncic, who leads the league this season with an average of 34.3 points per game, scored 25 points in the first half alone against the league's top scoring team. Indiana averaged 123.8 points per game.
Neither team led by more than eight points in the first half, with Indiana leading 67-60. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 32 points. The Pacers held a 100-91 lead going into the fourth.
“We played solid defense,” Turner said. “They have special talent. We still have 24 games left and we need to work even harder.”
Indiana University played without starting winger Aaron Nesmith, who averaged 12.6 points per game, due to a sprained right ankle.
The Mavericks held back reserve guard Dante Exum (9.2 points per game), but they hope to have him back on Tuesday after missing a month with knee bursitis.
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Mavericks: Continue their four-game road trip against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Pacers: Host the Toronto Raptors on Monday night.
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